I wish I could call these my Holiday Favourites but unfortunately these are my ‘living in real estate limbo-hell’ favourites. lol! We’ve been living extremely minimally with most of our belongings in storage, and constantly having to leave our house with a days worth of stuff. I’ve felt pretty off, disorganized and haven’t been able to get to the gym as often as I’ve liked, and I’ve been relying on snacky things for stress relief. I especially need the stress relief now that our real estate situation fell apart. Basically we made an offer on our dream house a month ago, we quickly prepped our house and did renos and listed it, and yesterday someone bumped our offer on our dream house and made the last month of real estate hell pointless. If any of you are familiar with the Vancouver housing market, you know what a nightmare it is to do anything here unless you have $$$ in cash that you can throw at a sale. Typical home buyers are not those people. Anyways, today we regroup and figure out what we want to do next.
The things that have helped me cope are 1. a bit of retail therapy and 2. beauty products. Especially facial cleansers, fun lipstick and a great foot peal I’ve discovered.
Erno Laszlo Detoxifying Double Cleans Duo
I’ve had a sample of Erno Laszlo cleansing oil for about three years which I got at the Erno Laszlo store in New York, and I’d been using it over the past two months (it’s a large sample, and a very tiny bit is needed) and I’ve really loved it. I decided to pick up this set from the Nordstrom sale and so far I’m really liking it. The sample I had was their more famous cleansing oil and this one is a ‘detoxing’ cleansing oil with charcoal and sea mud. I was told it was very strong, but I haven’t broken out or had any irritations and it’s been such a lovely luxurious routine. I love a good double cleans, especially with a facial oil. Since I’ve not been wearing much makeup lately, I’ve been really focusing on my skincare so that I don’t “need” the makeup as much.
Charlotte Tilbury Perfect Pink Lipstick Duo
I have about 4 used nubs of Charlotte Tilbury pillow talk lip liners and they are my absolute favourite. I’ve been really wanting to try a lipstick from her but they are kind of pricey so I jumped at this set which includes two lipsticks (both colors that work really well for me) plus a lip liner for a bit less than two lipsticks. They are both the perfect pinks for my coloring and although I would call them both mauve pinks (on a darker pink than the other), the darker color is described as a tawny berry. These are supposed to be universally flattering pinks which I think is correct. If you aren’t wearing full makeup, a fun and happy lipstick can be enough to make you feel put together.
Baby Foot
When we went to Las Vegas in June I had a huge problem with cracked heels. An hour after we got off the plane my heel cracked so badly that I couldn’t walk on it, all because of the hot and dry desert air. I went to the pharmacy and purchased a foot file, filed it religiously, put lotion on it, soaked it, got a pedicure when I got back in town and still, my heel kept cracking in the same spot. This was a reoccurring issue ever since we left Las Vegas and it was pretty upsetting actually. I resolved that I would have to get to a podiatrist to have my foot repaired, but before I did that I wanted to try this foot peel that I’d been told about.
I used this Baby Foot Peel about two weeks ago and was very cautious with it because of the crack on my heel. I was afraid that the acid peel on this would really hurt, and it would create an even bigger problem, so I used it only for the hour that it recommends you use it for. It was slightly stingy on my cracks but not so bad that I felt I needed to take the boot off. My friend who used it said she kept the boot on for two hours, and I’ve read reviews online that all say the same -1.5-2 hours for full peel effect, and that the 1 hour recommendation is very conservative. With just the one hour recommended on the package I got at least 75% of the rough skin on my heel removed, and 100% of the rough skin all over the rest of my foot gone. It’s a bit confusing because for the first three days after the treatment nothing happens and you think it didn’t work, and then suddenly on the third day your skin starts molting. I purchased a second one and I’m going to do it again in a few days but so far this has completely cured my cracked heel issue. The skin is no longer so rough that it splits when you put weight on it.
If you are having rough dry feet from wearing sandals all summer, I definitely, definitely recommend trying this. You will have to suffer through wearing closed shoes during the peeling stage which lasts about a week, but it’s so worth the end resutls.
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12 comments
The only makeup products I’ve been eyeing in the NSale are the Charlotte Tilburry sets! I don’t own anything from them yet. I also struggle with a perpetually chapped heel so I’m going to try out that foot peel. Thanks!
Definitely try the foot peel. I’d heard so much about it for over a year, and then my friend told me she used it and was happy with the results so since I had signed up for the amazon prime trial period I decided to give it a go.
If you go with the Charlotte Tilburry lipstick set, I recommend the pink over the nudes set. The nudes has a the pillow talk liner but it has one lipstick in it that makes everyone look like a corpse. lol! Unless you are all over the foundation as lipstick look I’d go with the pink set.
one of my monthly luxuries is a facial from Erno Lazlo in Soho, NY. It is decadent and divine. I work 50+ hours a week so this is my must relaxation method.
Such a great way to reward yourself for a hard weeks work. More people should do this!
I have an aunt who is a skincare specialist, and she’s worked with many high end brands in Paris. When I was 16 and having troubled skin she recommended Erno Lazlo to me and said it was the best of the best of all the skincare she’s worked with. I always thought it was such a tiny niche skincare brand but it is legit very well respected by people in the industry.
Your aunt is 100% correct. My mum is the one who introduced me to this brand. I’ve been washing my face in the summer with their Sea Mud Soap bar in warmer months since I was 22. I’m 29 and a marathon runner in my spare time since age 20 (my outlet). I used to break out badly and this soap has saved my face from breaking out. I still break out but not as much. I’m a huge fan of their products. I’d rather buy their skin care than any other high end brands.
How long did the ‘molting phase’ last until you were able to wear sandals again?
Sorry to hear about your real estate ordeal. Sounds like the Vancouver housing market is like the WLA housing market. You really need to be a cash buyer and offer over market. There’s just too little stock for the demand. Where I live (and grew up), original, tiny track houses (which are essentially tear downs) are over $1.5 million. Then you have to spend the money to renovate. I hope you find your dream home soon and can finally unpack. Just hold on a bit longer . . . you’ll find the house you were meant to live in.
I’m definitely going to try the foot peel and check out the lipstick set when I go to Nordies again to pick up a couple of things and return the items I edited from my purchase.
that foot peel really works! you can also find it at Korean beauty stores (h-mart downtown) for pretty cheap.
Really?? how cheap? I have a couple of h-marts pretty close to my house actually so I think I’ll check it out today.
Just make sure it’s the real Baby Foot brand and not some knock off. I tried a cheaper alternative and it didn’t work.
Cristina I have been reading your blog for the past 2 years and I love your recommendations. I get terrific ideas on how to put various Lulu items together! Thank you for sharing the Charlotte Tillbury products. I just purchased the pink lip kit and pillow talk pencil and love it! I discovered another product they have which is their “beach stick.” It can be used as a creamy blush as well as a lip color. I purchased the “Las Salinas” color if you would like to check it out!
Thank you so much!!! I am having so much fun doing them and I’m really glad you are enjoying them. I’m glad you are loving the CT lip kit, I needed to share my excitement about them with someone. They are so awesome from color, to formula to that gorgeous rose gold packaging.
I am checking out that beach stick for sure!!!